Metavia Reports DA-1726 Cuts Liver Fat
Metavia, an affiliate of Dong-A ST, announced interim analysis results from Part 3B of the Phase 1 clinical trial of DA-1726 at the Precision Liver Symposium 2026 held in Denver, the United States, on Nov. 4. The study was a randomized, placebo-controlled trial in adults with obesity that observed c
Metavia, a Dong-A ST affiliate, disclosed interim findings from a Phase 1 clinical trial of DA-1726 at the Precision Liver Symposium 2026 in Denver on November 4. The randomized, placebo-controlled study in obese adults examined the impacts of once-weekly DA-1726 dosing over 16 weeks on body weight, liver fat, and blood glucose.
The treatment group exhibited a 68% reduction in liver fat content compared to placebo by Day 109. Body weight decreased by 13.5%, equating to an average loss of 12.19 kg relative to baseline. MRI-based liver fat measurement (MRI-PDFF) revealed that 83% of patients in the treatment group achieved more than 30% liver fat reduction.
All five participants with initial fatty liver saw their liver fat levels drop below 5%, within the normal range. The trial also demonstrated favorable changes in body composition, with visceral fat falling by 22% and abdominal subcutaneous fat and total adipose tissue decreasing by 19%. Thigh muscle volume reduction was around 9%.
Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), a blood glucose control marker, improved by 0.44 percentage points from 5.79% to 5.33%. DA-1726, an oxyntomodulin analog drug candidate, functions on GLP-1 and glucagon receptors, leading to weight loss and blood glucose control simultaneously. Gastrointestinal adverse events were reported in nine of the 15 treatment group patients but were generally mild to moderate, with no new side effects after Week 9, indicating long-term tolerability.
Metavia plans to broaden DA-1726's indication from obesity to metabolic dysfunction-associated liver disease with alcohol use (MetALD) and alcohol-related liver disease (ALD), as there are currently no approved treatments for these conditions. The company aims to disclose the full Phase 1 data in Q1 2027 and commence a Phase 2 trial involving 150 patients in the second half of the same year.
Metavia CEO Kim Hyung-heon noted DA-1726's potential in cardiometabolic disease treatment, particularly for liver disease, and the company intends to omit liver biopsies in future trials to reduce patient burden and expedite development.
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